Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Painting of Women
September 9 through December 31, 2018
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, Washington D.C.
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, DETAIL OF Woman with a Pearl, c. 1868–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 70 x 55 cm (27 9/16 x 21 5/8 in.) framed: 93 x 74.5 x 9 cm (36 5/8 x 29 5/16 x 3 9/16 in.) Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Peintures, © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY. Photo by Stéphane Maréchalle.
Corot’s figural oeuvre is comprised largely of three major motifs:
nudes, single figures in costume posed three-quarter and full-length,
and a late series of allegories focused on his studio.
Corot:Women features 44 paintings created between the 1840s and the early 1870s
One of the greatest landscape painters of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875) bridged the French neoclassical tradition and the impressionist movement of the 1870s. His figure paintings constitute a much smaller and less well-known portion of his oeuvre, but are of equal importance to the history of art, in particular for the founders of modernist painting, such as Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, (1796-1875) was born in Paris. He was a notable painter of landscapes and portraits, as well as an etching engraver.
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot,
Self-portrait, circa 1835,
oil on paper mounted on canvas
Height: 33 cm (12.9 in); Width: 25 cm (9.8 in)
Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
HIGHLIGHTS
NUDES
In the mid-1850s the nude became a way for Corot to give a new direction to his career and to establish himself as more than a landscape painter. Corot’s engagement with the traditional genre of the nude was complicated by the shifting social position of artists’ models and the incursion of photography into artistic practice in France’s Second Empire.
NYMPH RECLINING
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Nymph Reclining, 1857-1858, oil on canvas, overall: 49 x 75 cm (19 5/16 x 29 1/2 in.) Framed: 79 x 105 cm (31 1/8 x 41 5/16 in.) Musées d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève, Deposit of the Republic and Canton of Geneva © Musées d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève, Dépôt de la République et canton de Genève, 1875, n° inv. 1875-0005, photo by Bettina Jacot-Descombes
THE REPOSE
The only female nude Corot exhibited publicly
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Repose, 1860, reworked c. 1865/1870, oil on canvas, overall: 57.8 x 101.6 cm (22 3/4 x 40 in.) framed: 83.8 x 127.3 x 12.1 cm (33 x 50 1/8 x 4 3/4 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Corcoran Collection (William A. Clark Collection)
BACCHANTE WITH A PANTHER
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Bacchante with a Panther, 1860, reworked c. 1865–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 55 x 95 cm (21 5/8 x 37 3/8 in.) framed: 81 x 121 x 9 cm (31 7/8 x 47 5/8 x 3 9/16 in.) Collection of Shelburne Museum, Anonymous gift in memory of Harry Payne Bingham
BACCHANTE BY THE SEA
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Bacchante by the Sea, 1865, oil on wood, overall: 38.74 x 59.37 cm (15 1/4 x 23 3/8 in.) framed: 54 x 75 x 7 cm (21 1/4 x 29 1/2 x 2 3/4 in.) Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929, Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
DIANE BATHING (The Fountain)
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Diane Bathing (The Fountain), c. 1869–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 72.1 x 41 cm (28 3/8 x 16 1/8 in.) Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, on loan at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
FIGURES
The costumed, single-figure works make up the largest component of Corot’s figural paintings. They range from vaguely neoclassical images of models in muted tones, antique garb, and simplified compositions, such as The Blonde Gascon (c. 1850), to more romantic evocations of sitters in richly colored exotic dress, as depicted in Young Woman in a Pink Skirt (c. 1845–1850). Incorporating Corot’s sophisticated color sensibility in the costume details, each work conveys a distinct feminine subjectivity.
Corot’s female figures hover between the sitter’s likeness, art historical precedents, and formal innovations, resulting in mysterious images that go beyond the generic categories of portraiture, allegory, and erotica.
THE BLONDE GASCON
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Blonde Gascon, c. 1850, oil on canvas, overall: 40.01 x 30.16 cm (15 3/4 x 11 7/8 in.) Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Purchased with the Drayton Hillyer Fund. Photo by Stephen Petegorsky
DETAIL OFTHE BLONDE GASCON
YOUNG WOMAN IN A PINK SHIRT
DETAIL OF YOUNG WOMAN IN A PINK SHIRT
WOMAN WITH A PEARL
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Woman with a Pearl, c. 1868–1870, oil on canvas,framed: 93 x 74.5 x 9 cm (36 5/8 x 29 5/16 x 3 9/16 in.) Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Peintures © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY. Photo by Stéphane Maréchalle
DETAIL OF WOMAN WITH A PEARL
MADEMOISELLE DE FOUDRAS
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Mademoiselle de Foudras, 1872, oil on canvas, overall: 89 x 59.7 cm (35 1/16 x 23 1/2 in.) framed: 120 x 88 cm (47 1/4 x 34 5/8 in.) Lent by Glasgow Life (Glasgow Museums) on behalf of Glasgow City Council. Presented by Trustees of DWT Cargill, 1950
DETAIL OF MADEMOISELLE DE FOUDRAS
YOUNG GREEK WOMAN
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Young Greek Woman, c. 1870–1871, oil on canvas, overall: 84.14 x 70.49 cm (33 1/8 x 27 3/4 in.)framed: 102.3 x 73.7 x 10.8 cm (40 1/4 x 29 x 4 1/4 in.) Collection of Shelburne Museum, Gift of the Electra Havemeyer Webb Fund, Inc.
DETAIL OF YOUNG GREEK WOMAN
MELANCHOLY
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Melancholy, c. 1860, oil on canvas, overall: 48 x 36 cm (18 7/8 x 14 3/16 in.) framed: 75.2 x 63.2 x 11 cm (29 5/8 x 24 7/8 x 4 5/16 in.) Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
DETAIL OF MELANCHOLY
JEWISH WOMAN OF ALGERIA
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Jewish Woman of Algeria, c. 1870, oil on canvas, overall: 81.9 x 64.8 cm (32 1/4 x 25 1/2 in.) Private Collection
DETAIL OF JEWISH WOMAN OF ALGERIA
WOMAN WITH A PINK SHAWL
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Woman with a Pink Shawl, c. 1865–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 66.7 x 55.2 cm (26 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Henry C. and Martha B. Angell Collection. Photograph © 2018 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
DETAIL OF WOMAN WITH A PINK SHAWL
AGOSTINA
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Agostina, 1866, oil on canvas, overall: 132.4 x 97.6 cm (52 1/8 x 38 7/16 in.) framed: 173.7 x 138.4 cm (68 3/8 x 54 1/2 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection
DETAIL OF AGOSTINA
ITALIAN WOMAN
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Italian Woman (Woman with the Yellow Sleeve), c. 1870, oil on canvas, overall: 73 x 59 cm (28 3/4 x 23 1/4 in.) framed: 87 x 57.4 x 13.5 cm (34 1/4 x 22 5/8 xs 5 5/16 in.) The National Gallery, London, Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by HM Government from the state of Lucian Freud and allocated to the National Gallery, 2012 © The National Gallery, London
DETAIL OF ITALIAN WOMAN
SIBYLLE
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Sibylle, c. 1870, oil on canvas, overall: 81.92 x 64.77 cm (32 1/4 x 25 1/2 in.) framed: 95.7 x 83 x 7.5 cm (37 11/16 x 32 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.) Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
DETAIL OF SYBILLE
ITALIAN GIRL
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Italian Girl, c. 1872, oil on canvas, overall: 65 x 54.5 cm (25 9/16 x 21 7/16 in.) framed: 94.9 x 84.5 x 11.4 cm (37 3/8 x 33 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Avalon Foundation
DETAIL OF ITALIAN GIRL
THE LADY IN BLUE
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Lady in Blue, 1874, oil on canvas, overall: 80 x 50.5 cm (31 1/2 x 19 7/8 in.)framed: 125.5 x 95.5 x 16.5 cm (49 7/16 x 37 5/8 x 6 1/2 in.) Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Peintures © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, photo by Stéphane Maréchalle
DETAIL OF THE LADY IN BLUE
YOUNG WOMAN AT THE FOUNTAIN
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Young Woman at The Fountain, c. 1860, oil on canvas, overall: 65 x 42 cm (25 9/16 x 16 9/16 in.) Musée d’Art d’Historie de Genève, © Musées d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève, Dépôt de la Fondation Jean-Louis Prévost & de la Fondation Gandur pour l’art, Genève, 1875, n° inv. BA 2010-0001, photo by Bettina Jacot-Descombes
ITALIAN WOMAN AT THE FOUNTAIN
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Italian Woman at the Fountain, 1865–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 29.3 x 44.2 cm (11 9/16 x 17 3/8 in.) framed: 49 x 63 x 8 cm (19 5/16 x 24 13/16 x× 3 1/8 in.) Kunstmuseum Basel
BOHEMIAN WOMAN AT A FOUNTAIN
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Bohemian Woman at a Fountain, c. 1865–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 58.1 x 42.86 cm (22 7/8 x 16 7/8 in.) Philadelphia Museum of Art, The George W. Elkins Collection, 1924. The Philadelphia Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY
SPRINGTIME OF LIFE
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Springtime of Life, 1871, oil on canva, overall: 105.09 x 74.61 cm (41 3/8 x 29 3/8 in.) Minneapolis Institute of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Erasmus C. Lindley in memory of her father, James J. Hill
THE CROWN OF FLOWERS
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Crown of Flowers, c. 1865–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 64.8 x 43.2 cm (25 1/2 x 17 in.) framed: 91.44 x 49.53 x 10.16 cm (36 x 19 1/2 x 4 in.) The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Helen and Abram Eisenberg Collection. Photo by Mitro Hood
WOUNDED EURYDICE
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Wounded Eurydice, c. 1868–1870, oil on canvas, overall: 60.64 x 45.4 cm (23 7/8 x 17 7/8 in.) Minneapolis Institute of Art, Bequest of Mrs. Egil Boeckmann
COROT’S STUDIO
Corot’s studio, recognized by his contemporaries as essential to understanding his method and
the meaning of his art, embodied his artistic aspirations and achievements. Beginning around 1865
Corot transcribed and reinvented his studio in a group of paintings that reference the studio’s broader
artistic and cultural significance. More than just a working space, Corot’s studio was integral to his
identity and was a recurring theme in his art, especially in the final decade of his life.
COROT’S STUDIO: PENSIVE WOMAN SEATED BEFORE AN EASEL,
A MANDOLIN IN HER HAND
is the most resolved from his series of studio paintings
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Corot’s Studio: Pensive Woman Seated before an Easel, a Mandolin in Her Hand, c. 1865–1866, oil on canvas, overall: 56 x 46 cm (22 1/16 x 18 1/8 in.) framed: 76 x 67 cm (29 15/16 x 26 3/8 in.) Musée du Louvre, Paris, on deposit at The Musée d’Orsay, Paris © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, photo by Herve Lewandowski
THE ARTIST’S STUDIO
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Artist’s Studio, 1870, oil on canvas, overall: 63 x 48 cm (24 13/16 x 18 7/8 in.) Collection of Marlene and Spencer Hays
COROT’S STUDIO: WOMAN SEATED BEFORE AN EASEL,
A MANDOLIN IN HER HAND
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Corot’s Studio: Woman Seated before an Easel, a Mandolin in Her Hand, c. 1865–1868, oil on canvas, overall: 63 x 42 cm (24 13/16 x 16 9/16 in.) framed: 94 x 73 x 12 cm (37 x 28 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.) Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Peintures © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY, photo by Gerard Blot
COROT’S STUDIO: WOMAN SEATED BEFORE AN EASEL,
A MANDOLIN IN HER HAND
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Corot’s Studio: Woman Seated before an Easel, a Mandolin in Her Hand, c. 1868, oil on wood, overall: 61.8 x 40 cm (24 5/16 x 15 3/4 in.) framed: 78.4 x 56.5 cm (30 7/8 x 22 1/4 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
Author: Mary Morton
with David Ogawa, Sébastien Allard, and Heather McPherson
Hardcover
9 x 11 inches
180 pages
99 color illustrations
Published: 2018
$50.00
The women painted by Camille Corot (1796–1875) read, dream, and gaze at the viewer, conveying an independent spirit and a sense of their inner lives. Corot’s handling of color and his deft, delicate touch applied to the female form resulted in pictures of quiet majesty. Although these figural paintings constitute a relatively small and little-known portion of his oeuvre, they were of great importance for the founders of modernist painting, such as Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque.
This publication encompasses some 40 paintings by Corot—from the single-figure bust and full-length images of the 1840s through the 1860s nudes and his allegorical series devoted to the model in the studio. Essays by leading experts in the field address Corot’s debt to the old masters and the impact of his pictures on both 19th- and 20th-century painting, the relationship of his figural work to his more famous landscape practice, his response to the shifting social position of artists’ models, and the incursion of photography into artistic practice in the Second Empire and early Third Republic.
About the Author
Mary Morton is curator and head of the Department of French Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Sébastien Allard is chief curator of the Department of Paintings, Louvre, Paris. Heather McPherson is professor of art and art history, University of Alabama, Birmingham. David Ogawa is associate professor of art history, Union College, Schenectady, NY.
ORGANIZATION
The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington
SUPPORT
The exhibition is made possible through the support of
The Edwin L. Cox Exhibition Fund and Leonard and Elaine Silverstein
It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
EXHIBITION CURATOR
The exhibition is curated by Mary Morton, curator and head of the department
of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
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